March PPE: revision and preparation tasks

Your Media Studies March PPE is on Thursday 3 March.

The preliminary material that gives you the brief you need to follow in the exam is available here. You will also be given a printed copy in class.

You MUST complete the following research and planning tasks before the exam on Thursday 3 March.

Research and revision

1) Revise the Independence Day case study questions you researched and posted to your blog in December.

2) Revise and make notes on the key scenes from Independence Day, paying particular attention to Science Fiction key conventions and audience pleasures.

3) Complete the Attack The Block case study questions.

4) Revise and make notes on the key scenes from Attack The Block, paying particular attention to Science Fiction key conventions, audience pleasures and the representation of young people.

5) Use the case study notes sheet we gave you in class to help your revision. You'll want to use your copy of the A3 clip notes worksheet too - original document here if you need it.



Preliminary brief - Planning

1) Complete detailed planning of your ideas for 'The Last Equinox'. Plan out the following:

1. The key characters in the film and why they appeal to the audience. Ensure this is detailed: names, ages, what type of person they are, relationships, motivations or ambitions and more.
2. The main settings for the film: Earth? Spaceship? Alternative planet? Plan and describe the settings in detail with links to Science Fiction conventions and sub-genres.
3. The key conventions of Science Fiction film that your plans for 'The Last Equinox' will incorporate: futuristic world, space travel, AI/robotics, conflict between humans and other life-forms etc.
4. Two or three key scenes from the film: what happens to the characters, how the narrative is developed and where the scenes take place. Link this to your planning of the characters, settings and key conventions above.

2) Why would your planning for 'The Last Equinox' appeal to a Science Fiction audience? Use reference to media theory where possible.

3) How could you use e-media and social networking to promote 'The Last Equinox'? Come up with at least three distinct ideas for using websites, apps or social media to promote the film to a Science Fiction audience.

4) Prepare for the creative task in the exam. Plan, sketch and draw the following:

• Logo and graphic identity for 'The Last Equinox'
• Billboard film poster for 'The Last Equinox' (landscape)
• Bus shelter advertisement for 'The Last Equinox' (portrait)
• Storyboard for a 30 second trailer for 'The Last Equinox'. Use this AQA storyboard sheet if you don't pick up a paper copy in class. 

All tasks MUST be completed before Thursday 3 March

Science Fiction Case Study 2: Attack The Block (2011)

Your second case study for our Science Fiction exam topic is the 2011 British urban Science Fiction hybrid Attack The Block.

Work through the following tasks in order to make yourself an expert on the film. You will need this knowledge to answer Task 1 in the exam.

Case Study 2: Attack The Block

Most importantly, watch the film. You can buy it on YouTube, Amazon or iTunes or if you have a Netflix subscription it should be available on there. We will screen the opening of the film in class.

Then, use imdb.com, rottentomatoes.com and any other relevant websites you can access to find out the following information about the film...

Genre and Media language analysis
1) What sub-genre of Science Fiction does Attack The Block fit into? What issues or fears in society might be addressed in the film?

2) How can you tell it fits that sub-genre? Be specific with reference to specific clips or scenes from the film.

3) How does the narrative (storyline) of the film fit the Science Fiction genre?

4) Who are the main characters in Attack The Block and what target audience would they appeal?

5) How does the mise-en-scene in Attack The Block fit the Science Fiction genre? You can find more information about mise-en-scene here and A Level analysis of it here.


Release date and marketing campaign
1) What was the UK release date for Attack The Block?

2) Find the trailer for Attack The Block, embed it in your blog and explain why it might appeal to an audience. 

3) What other examples of marketing can you find on Google for Attack The Block (film poster, teaser trailers, main trailers, newspaper reviews or TV interviews etc.)


Critical reception
1) What is the IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes rating for Attack The Block?

2) What is the word-of-mouth like for Attack The Block? Use the IMDB user review rating or the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating to judge whether the public rate the movie.

3) Find three quotes (no more than 25 words each) from user reviews of Attack The Block and post them on your blog.


Key scene analysis and audience pleasures
1) Choose three key scenes from Attack The Block and write about how they fit the key conventions of the Science Fiction genre.

2) Choose one scene from Attack The Block that you think an audience would enjoy. Why would they enjoy the scene? Refer to Uses and Gratifications theory (diversion; personal identity etc.) and the Three Vs - visceral, vicarious or voyeuristic pleasures. 

3) Which characters in Attack The Block would particularly appeal to different audience types? Refer to a specific scene in the film to support your points.

4) Write a detailed demographic breakdown of the possible target audience for Attack The Block. Include age, gender, social class, education, job/earnings, where they live, what they enjoy in their spare time and brands they are attracted to.


All tasks MUST be completed before Thursday 3 March.

Research and planning: Pre-production

In your group OR individually, you need to complete the following planning:

1) Storyboard
2) Shotlist
3) Mise-en-scene planning

You need a minimum of 3 pages EACH. You CANNOT put any work in your folder that has been created by someone else in your group.

Storyboard

• Use the skills you have already developed in Assignment 2.
• Create a visual ‘feel’ for what you want your music video to look like – you won’t be able to storyboard every shot.
• Use a wide variety of creative shots and draw them accurately.
• Aim for somewhere between 10-20 frames (depending on whether you are working individually or in a group).

Shot list

• The shot list is the single most important pre-production document – you will tick off each shot while shooting.
• Remember, you will shoot far more than you actually use - which means a variety of shots for each event or location in the music video.
• Due to this, there will be far more shots on the shot list than in the storyboard.
• You will need at least one shot for every second of the track you have chosen - so the shot list will contain 180+ shots.
• The most important shot type to plan is close-ups. Ideally, you should have one close up every three shots.

Mise-en-scene planning

• This document involves all the planning for anything appearing in front of the camera: actors/cast, locations, costumes, props, make-up, lighting.
• Use images to show you have planned each aspect of mise-en-scene (mobile phone/ Google images/ Google maps are all acceptable here).

The deadline for all your research and planning is Tuesday 23 February. 

IMPORTANT: you cannot sign out a camera for filming unless everyone in your group has completed ALL research and planning documents.

GCSE Media work: Tuesday 9 February

In Tuesday's lessons, your main priority is to improve your Assignment 2 coursework.

The work you need to complete is as follows:

1) Improve your Assignment 2 coursework to target grade level. Use your detailed written feedback to target improvements in your essay and production tasks.

2) Complete your Assignment 3 Research and Planning:

• Existing product research
• Music video treatment
• Target audience planning, research and Photoshop audience profile

These need to be completed on Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop and then printed and placed in your coursework folder.

3) If you complete ALL of the above, you need to start working on pre-production tasks for your music video. Start by planning the mise-en-scene (actors, locations, costumes, props etc.) for your music video. This can be done in a Word document using pictures and Google maps locations. Then, move on to storyboarding 10-15 frames to create the visual look and feel you're aiming for. Storyboard sheets are available in DF07.

We have a lot of work to do so make sure you are focused throughout every lesson and good luck!

Research and Planning: Audience

You need to complete THREE pages of work to cover audience research and planning:

1) Target Audience. ONE page on Microsoft Word listing your chosen band/artist's target audience demographics (bullet points) and brands your audience enjoys. 

Example: 

Target audience demographics for Kings of Leon:

• Alternative music/rock/indie fans. 
• Age range 15-45 but largely 16-30.
• Slightly more males then females (60/40). 
• Largely white British race/ethnicity.
• Largely middle class ABC1 demographic. 
• Likely to be educated at least to A Level with 60% at university or degree educated.
• Earnings above average and likely to do or have ambitions to do a degree-level job.
• Likely to live in towns and cities but not exclusively.
• Happy adopting new technology and regularly uses social networking sites and the internet.

Brands/lifestyle for Kings of Leon fans:

• Very likely to own an Apple product/mp3 player and take their music seriously. Almost certainly owns a smart phone but could be Samsung or Apple.
• Enjoys a drink – likely to be beer rather than wine. 
• Sony audio/visual products.
• Red Bull.
• Jack Daniels.
• Levis.
• NME or Q magazine.
• Sky Atlantic.
• May also be fans of Biffy Clyro, Florence and the Machine, MGMT, Kasabian, Foo Fighters and Muse.

2) Audience Profile. ONE page on Adobe Photoshop presenting your target audience and brand choices in a stylish graphical collage.

Create an A4 Audience Profile in Photoshop for your band/artist.

Your Audience Profile needs to include the following:

1) Band/artist logo or graphic

2) Demographic breakdown of target audience

3) Lifestyle statements that the target audience would agree with

4) Collage of brands/items that your target audience would use or enjoy

Use this NME example to help you.

3) Focus group write up. ONE page on Microsoft Word explaining FIVE comments you have received about your video idea and how you will change/develop it based on your feedback.

You need to conduct some audience research with another individual/group in the class. This is called a focus group and you then write up the feedback you get to help target your audience and refine your music video concept.

Example

Artist/song 
Kings of Leon: Beautiful War

Music video concept
Three locations for this slow, atmospheric song. One: walking in slow motion by River Thames at dusk/late afternoon looking moody. Two: drama studio, blacked out, single spotlight, singing track. Three: bedroom – super slow motion black and white pillow fight between boy and girl as song reaches crescendo.

Five comments I received about this concept
1) The locations sounds good but need to make sure the time of day and weather/lighting is appropriate for filming this type of video.
2) This wouldn't appeal to all teenagers but more young people into emo or alternative lifestyles or skateboarding should like it.
3) You will need to make sure the drama studio doesn't look like a drama studio or this will kill the overall effect of the video.
4) The super slow motion sounds great but would a pillow fight work with the song? Perhaps think of a different idea or something else/another location to film in slow motion.
5) For this type of music an extra location with a band playing might be a good key convention to include in a rock music video.

How I will use this feedback to change/develop my idea:

• For the river location, we will book a camera for the weekend so we have two days of potential filming for that part of the video - and also check the weather forecast first. We also need to check what time the sun sets at this time of year.
• Our target audience is teenagers who enjoy the emo/alternative lifestyle so this video should fit in well.
• The drama studio will not be visible in shot - it will just be a spotlight in black and white and shot in close up so there isn't anything to see in the background. Framing this shot will be very important though and making sure the lighting is right.
• We will consider changing the pillow fighting scene to something else although it's difficult to think of a location or activity that would work well in super slow motion and also be available to film. 
• We have considered having a band playing the song but don't have the location and equipment so will stick with the singing in a spotlight to make sure we've got a performance element in the video. 

Focus group instructions

1) Pair up with another group/individual.

2) One group pitches their idea and target audience.

3) The other group offers feedback: FIVE specific comments (these can follow WWW/EBI format).
4) Swap around and repeat.

Next, in Microsoft Word,  produce a one-page write-up of your focus group discussion.

Include the following:

1) Your chosen artist and song.

2) Your music video treatment summarised in one paragraph.

3) The feedback you received from another group 
4) What you plan to change/develop in terms of your video idea as a result of your audience research

Aim for around 250 words in total - no more than one page of A4.

You must finish these THREE audience research and planning tasks for homework. Due: Next Thursday.

Music video treatment: task

You now need to finalise your group and choose the song you will use. Once you've done this, brainstorm ideas for your music video and then write a treatment planning exactly what you are going to film. 

A reminder of the three main types of music video:

• Performance
• Narrative
• Visual effects

This online Powerpoint of music video key conventions may help you plan your video.

Remember the songs you can choose to use are as follows:

• College – A Real Hero
• Clean Bandit – Rather Be ft. Jess Glynne
• Woodkid – Run Boy Run
• M.I.A. – Paper Planes
• Sam Smith – Stay With Me (Rainer + Grimm Remix)
• Bastille – Of The Night
• American Authors – Best Day Of My Life
• The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
• Coldplay – A Sky Full Of Stars
• Frank Ocean – Thinking About You
• The Script – Hall Of Fame

If you have a specific idea that requires a different song you can pitch this to your Media Studies teacher and see if they agree. If your song choice is approved, you will need to bring your own copy of the song (in WAV, mp3 or mp4 format).

Use this music video treatment template to document your planning - this needs to be printed and put in your coursework folder when it is complete.

This is a vital part of your 12 pages of planning and you should make sure your treatment is no longer than two pages.

Your music video treatment AND existing product research is due by the end of Thursday THIS week.

Music video treatment: notes

Music video treatment

At the beginning of every music video project, there is a need to work with the artist to define a desired treatment. A video treatment, also known as video concept, outlines information with regards to what the music video will be about.

Conceptually, a music video could show the artist performing the song in front of a live audience or by itself; alternatively, a music video can also present a story line where certain situations and storytelling takes place. Furthermore, it can also be an experimental exercise where random images are shown to complement the music in a more abstract way. All of these angles constitute the treatment, or concept, of a music video.

However, a video treatment goes beyond this exercise of defining the overall direction of the video. The treatment goes down to describe the kind of locations, situations, stories, images, look and feel, tone and colour, pacing and so on of the music video. Even though most treatment writers don't follow specific guidelines or structures, a well written treatment is one that can successfully communicate complete ideas to artists.

Summarizing, a music video treatment is the starting point of every project. It allows the production company to communicate its ideas to the artists and it allows artists to make decisions regarding the direction of their video. The treatment also helps production companies to write production budgets that are accurate and that give artists a complete view of what to expect when embarking on the production of their music video.

Source: Creando Music Video Production

Example music video treatment

Alt-J: Breezeblocks by Ellis Bahl 

Three shots, slow motion, played in reverse.

Cool tones. Blues and Whites.

Scene 1: A man sits on the floor of a bathroom, head in hands.

The camera moves to the bathtub, the water is running, a fully clothed woman lies submerged, a breezeblock on her stomach. Her hair floats on top of the water, hiding her face. Blood slowly runs backwards into her head. The man gets up and the breezeblock bounces up off the woman's head and into his hands. He puts it on the ground next the the tub. The two of them scuffle.

Scene 2: They sprint backwards down the hallway. Her in front, him in back. (he's chasing her) They backwards fight through a flat. They unshatter dishes and bookshelves stand up with books placing themselves back into order as they reverse fight their way through the apartment.

Scene 3: They make their way towards the front door. A knife flies off the floor and into the woman's hand. The man grapples with her. He turns away from her and she recedes into the shadows. 

The man looks down into a cupboard. ANOTHER woman is tied up and sucking in a scream. Her eyes close. They kiss. They stop and the man slaps ducktape over her mouth. He closes the door. He walks backwards, flips the lights off and exits out the front door.

The woman with the knife returns and opens the cupboard. The tied up woman's eyes are filled with terror. The knife woman says something. "I think I'll have a bath while we wait for your Husband to get home. You don't mind, do you?"